


Nothing at all

by yesitsalsoagun



Category: Wizard101 (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, I guess????, Nightmares, Original Character(s), Panic Attacks, Post-Karamelle, Spoilers for Wizard101, it's just one weird uncle comforting the chosen one you know how it is, like major spoilers. please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27753973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yesitsalsoagun/pseuds/yesitsalsoagun
Summary: After Karamelle, Destiny has another nightmare, and gets some help from an unexpected source.
Relationships: Player Character (Wizard101) & Maulwurf von Trap
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Nothing at all

**Author's Note:**

> major end of Karamelle spoilers ahead,,, forge on at ur own risk
> 
> title is from the crane wives song of the same name

The first nightmares Destiny had had about her Arcanum apartment occurred shortly after she’d received it. At that point in time it was sparsely decorated, save for a bed she’d shoved in there in case she really needed to crash. She had mistakenly decided to sleep before heading off for Mirage, in the likely case that it was going to be another very, _very_ long day.

The enormous windows allowing her to stare out into the void must have reminded her of Morganthe and her demise, because that night Destiny had dreamt the Shadow Queen was outside her apartment, spidery legs clacking against the windows as she tried to get in.

She invested in a canopy bed after that. Realistically, in the case that Morganthe _did_ somehow find the Arcanum, it wouldn’t do much, but it made her feel marginally safer.

On the off chance that she did sleep, most of the dreams Destiny had after that weren’t about the apartment itself—just Raven and Spider and Mellori, and the events of Mirage and Empyrea.

So, after Karamelle when she crashed there, whatever surely-malevolent entity that doled out dreams must have decided she was overdue for a terrifying dream about her environment. It wasn’t enough that she thought about it constantly in her waking hours as well, she supposed.

She was standing on the ground floor, staring out a window towards the giant black hole that raged in the distance, when two glowing red eyes opened in its center.

Dread and terror tangled in her gut as they approached, and the shadowy essence coalesced into an enormous, familiar form.

It was her.

Well, not quite. It wasn’t _Destiny_ , the ice wizard from Grizzleheim or Destiny, the Hero of Unicorn Way. In the grand scheme of things, none of that mattered.

It was the Divine Paradox. The _Nothing_.

And as it reeled its staff back in preparation, she realized with horror that it was _trying to get in_. To _her._

The whole apartment shook as the butt of the staff collided with the window, leaving a sizeable crack in the glass that fractured and reached outward at alarming speeds. She jerked back, turned and ran in slow motion for the door.

It wouldn’t open. She knew that, but it wouldn’t stop her from pulling frantically on the handle.

Even if it did open, would it help? Would it matter? Would anyone be able to help her with this giant abomination she had unknowingly…created? Attracted the attention of? Or would opening the door just endanger everyone else in the Arcanum?

Maybe they knew that, and that’s why the door wouldn’t open. Maybe they had severed the link between the Arcanum and Destiny’s apartment, and that’s why no matter how hard she tried it wouldn’t budge.

After all, this was all her fault; she had to be the one to fix this. Alone, like always.

And hey, they could always pick a new Scion.

Destiny awoke screaming. It took her a moment to stop, the sound cutting off abruptly with a strangled whimper. Embarrassing, but it wasn’t like anyone in the Arcanum proper could hear her.

She sucked in one shaky breath after another, but the rising panic in her chest wouldn’t subside.

She was alone. That thing was outside. It was going to get in and probably kill her.

The very small, rational part of her brain told her she was being ridiculous, there was no way Nothing could be there, she could just open the curtains and check.

But the terror gripping her heart said the closed curtains around her bed were the only thing keeping her alive. Maybe if it couldn’t see her it wouldn’t know she was there.

Plus, Destiny was pretty sure if she looked that thing in the eye again there was no way she’d be able to fight it. Just the thought of it had her on the verge of hyperventilating with panic.

After lying in bed for what felt like hours in paralyzed terror, a thought popped into her head.

She couldn’t try to escape through the door, there was no way she would make it in time, and even if she did the Arcanum had likely noticed what was happening and left her to deal with her own problems.

But, gods willing, she could teleport out.

It was risky. After all, it would mean reaching out of her small zone of safety to grab the compass sat on her bedside table next to her ring of world keys. But if she could grab it fast enough, maybe she could buy herself enough time to regroup with the Scholars and work out a plan.

Regardless of the risks, it was worth a shot. At the very least, it sounded better than lying in bed, scared for her life, waiting for the Nothing to break in and kill her.

She rolled onto her side, staring at the curtain separating her from her means of escape.

Just. Reach out really fast and grab it. Easy. She could do that.

It took several minutes of steeling herself and taking deep, steadying breaths before Destiny was ready to attempt it.

She could do it. She could.

In a flash, her arm darted out of the safety of the canopy. She fumbled for half a second, having miscalculated exactly where the compass was, but a second later she clutched it in her hand and pulled it back through the curtain.

Heart pounding loudly in her ears, Destiny focused, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. She released it in a whoosh, feeling that oh-so familiar tingling sensation of teleportation.

When she opened her eyes, she was sitting on the floor next to the Spiral Door.

Destiny blinked a few times to make sure her eyes weren’t fooling her, and when she still wasn’t quite sure, she set her hand against the ground. The cool tile sapped what little warmth she had gathered in her sleep and grounded her to the present.

There were no alarms, no flashing lights, no one rushing around and shouting about the Nothing being so close to the Arcanum. Nor was there anyone waiting for her to ask if she was alright, demanding to know what had happened to the Nothing, if she managed to fend it off.

It was just…empty. Like always. The streams of energy glowed softly overhead, the cage around the door to her right still crackled softly with electricity. The gentle ambient hum of the Arcanum slowly soothed her racing heart.

Ah. It had been just a dream, then.

After a few moments, Destiny got to her feet, a bit sheepish at her overreaction. As she brushed herself off, a voice cut through the blissful quiet.

“Oh _no_ ,” it called. “What are _you_ doing up?”

Destiny jumped at the sound, and turned to see Fitzhume returning to his usual spot with a few books tucked under his arm.

She didn’t trust herself to speak, so she raised her hands to sign instead.

_Wanted to check on things. Make sure everything’s okay._

Thankfully, the librarian made no comment on her state of dress (pajamas, disheveled) or her apparent state of mind (panicked, sleep deprived) and instead huffed an annoyed breath.

“Everything’s just _fine_ , except for the absurd amount of work that Ione keeps piling on me, which I’m sure _you_ don’t care about. So why don’t you just go back to sleep.”

Destiny hesitated as he returned to his desk, wringing her hands as he looked through his things.

_You sure?_

He scoffed. “Quite sure. I’m sure if there were some imminent danger Ione would no doubt tell me to inform you of it.”

Destiny let out a little laugh at that, and she felt some of the coiled tension in her chest unwind. Nodding, she turned to leave, but paused long enough to sign, _thank you, Fitzhume._

She was unsure if he understood her sincerity, as he merely waved a dismissive hand. “Hmph. Whatever. Go on, then.”

Destiny turned and headed back towards her apartment, pausing at the junction in the hallway.

Talking with someone—even if it _had_ been Fitzhume—had helped a bit, but she was still a bit shaken, and unsure if she was ready to go back to sleep yet. Just looking at the door to her room sent her back into that dream, and the terror that came with it. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the thoughts, and looked to her right.

Right across the hall to her apartment was Maulwurf’s office. She could hear him in there, the distant rumbles and crashes told her he was hard at work with whatever new instrument he had dreamed up.

On one hand, Maulwurf von Trap was not exactly the first person she would think of to go for hel…for h…in this situation.

On the other hand, Mellori wasn’t here, nor were her friends from Ravenwood, and Destiny _really_ didn’t want to bother Tarrak again.

So, not wanting to be alone with her thoughts or wake up any of the other scholars, Destiny opened the door ever so slightly and peeked inside, not wanting to get caught in the blast radius of Maulwurf’s newest great idea.

It took him a few moments to look up, too busy talking to himself about Musicology things that went right over Destiny’s head to notice her arrival.

When he finally turned enough to see he had a visitor, he brightened up instantly.

“Wizard! I did not think to see you up and about at this hour, come in, come in!”

With a single foot in the room and using the door as a shield, she signed, _safe?_

“Ya, ya, it is quite safe. I promise not to explode anything while you are here.”

That was as good as she was going to get, honestly. She stepped into the room proper and gently closed the door behind her.

Upon seeing her disheveled appearance, Maulwurf’s brows furrowed.

“Wizard, you look troubled! What is wrong, my friend? Bad dreams?”

Destiny took a second to nod, shoulders tensing under the mole’s scrutiny. She could feel the uncomfortable heat of embarrassment crawling up her neck as she signed, _Nothing._

Maulwurf frowned. “I know it is not nothing, you are _clearly_ —” he cut himself short. “Wait, nothing or… _Nothing_ nothing?”

 _…_ Nothing _nothing_.

“Oh, dear,” he paused. For a long moment, Destiny wondered if she should just turn around and leave, but before she could, he gestured to a few unoccupied stools scattered around the room. “Well, you are more than welcome to sit and stay for as long as you like. If you want to talk about it, you may.”

Maybe it was because she was already in an emotional state, but Destiny’s eyes welled with unbidden tears. She did her best to blink them away as she signed a quick _thank you_ and sat.

The two of them sat in a comfortable quiet for a while. Maulwurf hummed to himself as he worked with some sheet music.

Without the distraction of conversation, Destiny’s mind began to wander back to that…thing. The lack of solid answers had her second guessing everything. What did it want with her? Was she safe here, could it reach her anywhere, at any time? Was anyone around her safe? Should she even be here, or should she be—

“Can you tell me about it?” Destiny’s voice was rough and gravelly from sleep and crying.

“Hm?” he looked up from his work to give her his full attention.

“Musicology. I—you didn’t have time to explain it before, so I thought…” she trailed off and gestured vaguely.

Maulwurf beamed at her words, and launched into a lengthy, in-depth, and passionate explanation that Destiny did her best to commit to memory. It seemed fascinating, and she hoped she wouldn’t forget all this by morning. Though, Maulwurf seemed enthusiastic when answering the questions she had, so maybe he wouldn’t mind explaining it again if it slipped her mind.

After he finished his tirade, Maulwurf, remarkably, seemed to be at a bit of a loss for words. “Er…any further questions?”

She thought on that for a moment. “What is it about Musicology? Why…what drew you to it? Why do you love it so much?”

Maulwurf hummed at that, expression growing soft and thoughtful as he looked over to the instrument at his side. He placed a gentle hand on it, claws tapping against its surface gently as he spoke. “Musicology, it is not just music and magic. It is more than that. It is a freedom of expression. It is magic of the heart and soul, being shown in their truest form.”

He let that hang in the air for a moment before cheerfully adding, “Plus, you get to explode things. A _lot_.”

The sudden change in tone startled a short laugh out of her. A beat later, she brought a hand up to cover her mouth as she yawned.

“Sleepy?”

“Mm, yea. I should…probably head back…” she trailed off, remembering what might maybe still be waiting for her in her room.

“Your face is frowny again, Wizard. It makes me think perhaps you do not want to sleep?"

“Not here,” she mumbled before she could stop herself, eyes trained on the floor. “Don’t want to have another nightmare.”

After a moment, Maulwurf got to his feet. “I believe I can help you with that. Come, I will escort you.”

“To my room?” she quirked a confused brow at him. “It—it’s just across the hall, you don’t have to—”

He spoke over the last half of her statement. “Then it will be a short trip! Come!” And with that he headed for the door, gesturing for her to follow. Shaking her head, Destiny stood and did exactly that.

The door across the hall looked the same as it always had, but the tension still twisted in her gut like the worms Maulwurf used to gather information. Her hand hovered over the handle as she tried to work up the courage to open it.

Von Trap leaned in and stage-whispered, “I believe it is a pull door.”

Destiny snorted at that and shook her head with a small smile, hand finally coming to rest on the handle. She took a deep, steadying breath, and pulled it open.

She stepped inside, and there, waiting for her was…her room. Just as she’d left it. Scattered knickknacks and gifts from various worlds, her bookshelves and desk, her sword racks and all. It was all there. The windows were whole and unbroken, there was no giant abomination looming there awaiting her return.

She was safe. She wasn’t alone.

“Alright, go on, back to bed with you,” Maulwurf ushered her to her bed.

Destiny headed over, setting her compass down on the bedside table, and fixed the blankets that were disheveled from her sudden exit earlier. Then, she flopped down and pulled them over her, shifting until she was comfortable.

When she looked up, Maulwurf was still there. And in his clawed hands was a set of pan pipes.

Destiny immediately tensed and eyed the instrument warily. “That’s not going to explode me, is it?”

Maulwurf chuckled. “No, no. This one does not do the exploding like the others. It…oh, here. I will just show you.”

He raised it and began to play a slow melody. The room was filled with soft, mellow music, and Destiny was filled with confusion.

Realistically, she figured not every instrument in his arsenal had the same functionality. But…Maulwurf? Not exploding something? It was unheard of.

As the song continued, her tension and confusion slowly melted away. It was…nice. Calming, even. Soon, her eyes slipped shut and the music seemed to settle over her like a second blanket.

Eventually, the song came to a close, and Maulwurf’s voice took its place for the briefest of moments.

“Sleep well, liebchen. Sweet dreams.”

She drifted off to sleep after that, distantly hearing her door open and close as he left.

That night, for the first time in a long while, Destiny dreamt of pleasant things.

**Author's Note:**

> me mid-karamelle: hm idk if i trust maulwurf  
> maulwurf: calls greta and the wizard "liebchens"  
> me: okay so he's destiny's new uncle--  
> anyway WOOF the end of karamelle sure is something huh <3 it lives in my head rent free


End file.
